It is well known in motor vehicle bodies to employ a key operated lock cylinder for locking a deck lid in the closed position. The lock cylinder is conventionally concealed beneath an escutcheon. A cover is rotatably mounted on the escutcheon and spring loaded for pivotal return toward a closed position overlying the escutcheon and concealing the lock cylinder from view.
Prior patents such as U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,898,824, 3,930,391 and 4,192,161, invented by Hans J. Borlinghaus, and assigned to the assignee of this invention, have proposed a detent which retains the cover in the open position. According to these patents the detent is mounted on the escutcheon and engages with the cover when the cover is moved to the open position to hold the cover at the open position in which the lock cylinder is fully exposed for insertion of the key. Upon rotation of the key to the unlocking position, the detent is released and in turn releases the cover for a return to the closed position by the action of a biasing spring acting between the cover and the escutcheon.
A disadvantage of the prior lock cylinder covers is that the rotation of the key initiates release of the cover to the closed position so that the rapid closing movement of the cover by the bias spring may annoy the vehicle operator by striking the operator's fingers before the key can be fully withdrawn from the lock cylinder.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide a device for retarding the closing movement of the cover until the key and fingers are removed from proximity with the cover.
The present invention provides a new and improved lock cylinder cover in which a viscous damper acts between the cover and the escutcheon to delay the closing movement of the cover and thereby facilitate removal of the key and fingers from proximity with the spring biased cover.